How to Become a Certified Hypnotherapist – A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Become a Certified Hypnotherapist – A Step-by-Step Guide

Hypnotherapy is a rewarding profession, opening the doors to help people with a variety of conditions to overcome their daily challenges and achieve their goals. But becoming a hypnotherapist doesn’t happen overnight – you need the right training and certifications to ensure your efforts provide the best help for your clients.

At CPHT, we are the leading providers of solution focused hypnotherapy in the UK, offering courses from entry level to advanced. In this blog we’ll go through the steps needed to start, maintain, and grow a career in this exciting industry.

Ready to get started? Get in touch.

1. Gaining an Interest

The first step is to gain an interest in what you’re doing. Maybe a friend or family member suffers from a neurological disorder, or someone you know is tackling a challenging health goal. In any event, having personal investment in the field is a great motivation to get started.

Even if you don’t know someone struggling, there are plenty of good reasons to get involved with hypnotherapy. Perhaps you have a passion for supporting others, or are just seeking a change in your working lifestyle.

No matter how you start, once you find the right motivation, the next step is to get certified.

2. Finding the Right Hypnotherapy Course

Your initial hypnotherapy certification marks the real first step you take into the industry. It gives you all the skills and knowledge you will need to understand client conditions, and instil the best practices for handling clients with care while finding the best resolution to their issues.

Our Hypnotherapy Diploma course is designed to give you all the information you need to join or start a hypnotherapy practice. This ten-month certification provides knowledge, techniques, and a supportive community – alongside a reputable certificate – to build on and validate your hypnotherapy skills.

On this practical course, you will:

  • Learn theory, skills, and techniques
  • Be given a platform to ask any questions
  • Develop your marketing skills
  • Gain active experience
  • See the impact of your work
  • Receive support from experienced lecturers

3. Learning How to Market Yourself

As part of a Hypnotherapy Diploma at CPHT, you will also be taught valuable marketing skills. Many hypnotherapists are independents or open their own practices, often operating via Teams or Zoom to access thousands of clients from around the country.

Learning how to stand out in a competitive online marketplace is vital to ensuring the success of your hypnotherapy career, and to making a return on your education investment. We teach you all the necessary skills to ensure your career can thrive, and provide a supportive environment you can return to.

4. Gaining Active Experience

Learning on the job is vital to see how different patients respond in different circumstances, and to grasp how to apply your techniques in real-world scenarios. Experience in hypnotherapy will also show you how well it works, providing results and helping you build confidence in yourself – which leads to even more effective treatment down the line.

As part of our Hypnotherapy Diploma, we ensure you get real on-the-job experience, preparing you for the next stage in your career.

5. Discovering Your Speciality or Niche

As you interact with more patients and conditions, you may find there’s a particular specialism that you’re most interested in. Typically, hypnotherapists will begin to specialise in a certain field as they grow more comfortable with their work, carving out a niche in the market.

Doing more work in this niche is bound to develop your skills, but you can also get started with a Continuing Personal Development (CPD) course, tackling issues such as:

  • Neurodiversity
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • PTSD
  • Working with Women
  • …and much more!

Explore our CPD courses >

6. Continuing Your Professional Development

Even after you’ve specialised and have been established for a while, you may still find there are things you struggle with. If you want to build an even deeper understanding, there are additional hypnotherapy qualifications you can obtain.

Our Advanced Hypnotherapy Diploma broadens and deepens your knowledge, builds confidence and enables participants to speak more confidently with clients on a range of subject areas. It is the next natural step in your professional development.

Start Your Hypnotherapy Career with CPHT

With the right support and resources, you can set your hypnotherapy career up for success. Planning carefully in the initial stages will pay off in the long run, giving you the credentials, certifications, experience and expertise needed to provide a valuable service and succeed in the open market.

At CPHT, we provide solution focused hypnotherapy courses from beginner levels and up, ensuring both your early steps and later stages are handled with the same level of care. Unlock opportunities in the exciting world of hypnotherapy today by exploring our courses or getting in touch!

Learn the benefits of solution focused hypnotherapy >

Find out why continuous education is vital for hypnotherapists >

Free hypnotherapy training – is it worthwhile? Find out in our blog >

How to Start and Build a Successful Hypnotherapy Practice

CPHT Hypnotherapy Training - How to Start and Build a Successful Hypnotherapy Practice

Starting a hypnotherapy practice can feel like a challenging concept, especially when you’re new to the industry. If you haven’t started your training yet and are looking at the commercial viability of hypnotherapy, then the idea of starting out alone may feel like an impossible hurdle. But we’re here to show you it’s not.

At CPHT, we provide reliable hypnotherapy training that gives you all the tools and techniques you need to start and grow your own hypnotherapy practice. In this article, we’ll provide a step-by-step guide that makes the process clear and simple, ensuring you’re ready for your exciting future as a certified hypnotherapist!

Can’t wait to begin? Get in touch!

Step 1: Starting Your Hypnotherapy Training

Your first step should be to get some initial training as a hypnotherapist. If you’re already certified – great! You can move on to the next stage. If not, however, then this section is for you.

In your hypnotherapy training, you will be guided through all the key principles of providing hypnotherapy. This includes:

  • Methods you can use
  • Common problems you will see
  • How solution focused hypnotherapy works

On top of these basic fundamentals, you will be given modular tasks, the opportunity to gain field experience, and an open platform for further discussions.

After you’ve completed your training, you should be in the prime position to start your own hypnotherapy practice. But if you’re still feeling uncertain, worry not, as there are plenty of other avenues available to you as well.

Start your solution focused hypnotherapy diploma today >

Step 2: On-the-Job Experience

As mentioned, you will receive on-the-job hypnotherapy experience during your Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Diploma course. For some people, this gives them enough experience and confidence to carry out hypnotherapy for a diverse range of clients and customers.

However, if you find you still want to gain more experience, there are options.

CPHT Hypnotherapy Training - Working with friendsWorking with friends and family. Many hypnotherapists get into the practice as they want to help a friend or family member resolve a specific issue. By working with them to help find a resolution, you will gain confidence in yourself and your abilities that can be massively beneficial for your future work.

Joining a hypnotherapy organisation. You may be able to find a place as part of a larger, established hypnotherapy practice. Depending on your location and work requirements, this may give an avenue to build your confidence and experience, using the reputation and support of an existing organisation.

Volunteering. When someone is paying for something, it’s a given that they’ll expect to get their money’s worth, and this can be daunting when you’re just starting out as a hypnotherapist. Volunteering takes away the expectation that money brings, giving you an opportunity to gain experience without as much pressure.

Step 3: Understanding How to Market Yourself

Alongside experience and skill in hypnotherapy, marketing is a vital part of starting your own hypnotherapy practice. If you can’t sell yourself and your skills, you may find it hard to get things off the ground and really prove yourself – especially when you don’t have a large portfolio.

Our Hypnotherapy Diploma offers marketing training alongside everything else, helping you be prepared for starting your own practice upon completion.

Step 4: Setting Up Your Hypnotherapy Practice

With the skills, expertise, and resources in place, the next step is to start your own practice. Here are some simple steps you can follow to begin:

  1. Join a professional body. This includes organisations like the Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (AfSFH), the National Hypnotherapy Society, or the Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC).
  2. Get insurance. You will want insurance like professional indemnity insurance or public liability insurance to protect you in case of an incident.
  3. Register your business. There are a few different options here, such as registering as a sole trader or a limited company. You will want to ensure you’re registered with HMRC, and that you have a business bank account set up to handle expenses.
  4. Set up a practice space. Whether you’re operating from home or investing in your own premises, you will want to have a safe and professional space for your clients to see you in.
  5. Set up your fees. You will need to set how much your services cost, and market this clearly to potential customers. Looking at other hypnotherapy practices can give you an idea of where to start, and our marketing training will help you as well.
  6. Marketing and growing your practice. While staying compliant with the regulations, you can now continue to grow your practice in accordance with your capabilities. This could mean taking on a broader range of customers, or narrowing your focus to a specific niche.

Step 5: Specialising in a Niche

Many hypnotherapists find that as their practice grows, they want to focus on a specific type of issue. This could be due to personal preference, customer trends, or a need to understand more about a specific issue.

In any case, we can help you develop your skills with a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course. In this course, you can dive deep into the specifics of certain hypnotherapy-treatable issues like:

  • Adult ADHD
  • Neuroscience
  • Self-harm

… and many more! We even offer a CPD in Growing and Building Your Hypnotherapy Practice – a great next step if you’re feeling stuck.

Take the next step in your hypnotherapy career with a CPD course >

Start Your Hypnotherapy Career with Training from CPHT

Wherever you are on your hypnotherapy journey, CPHT are here to help. With courses from entry-level to advanced, and decades of industry experience, we can answer all your questions and help you take your next step.

If you’re interested in finding out more, check out some articles below or get in touch today!

Find out why continuous education is vital for hypnotherapists >

Explore the benefits of solution focused hypnotherapy >

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